Mexican Drug Warhttp://stopthedrugwar.org/topics/drug_war_issues/source_countries/mexican_drug_war
enChronicle AM: Ted Cruz Flip-Flops on Pot, Mexico Captures "La Tuta," Asset Forfeiture Action, More (2/27/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/feb/27/chronicle_am_ted_cruz_flipflops
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<p>Ted Cruz sees the light (or at least, which way the wind is blowing), a new poll has a majority for legalization in Maryland, asset forfeiture reform gets killed in two states, <em>The Washington Post</em> rethinks drug testing, and more.&nbsp;</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://fusion.net/story/55903/ted-cruz-flips-position-on-marijuana-legalization" target="_blank">Ted Cruz Changes His Mind on Marijuana Legalization</a>. A year ago, the Texas Republican senator and possible GOP presidential candidate criticized President Obama for allowing Colorado and Washington to legalize marijuana, but now he&#39;s singing a different tune. &quot;If the citizens of Colorado decide they want to go down that road, that&rsquo;s their prerogative,&quot; he told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). &quot;I personally don&rsquo;t agree with it, but that&rsquo;s their right.&quot;</p><p><a href="http://muscatinejournal.com/news/local/government-and-politics/capitol-digest-feb/article_7081e9fd-3015-5df5-b3f5-2fd4c4a79e0d.html" target="_blank">Iowa Bill to Reduce Marijuana Possession Passes Senate</a>. Earlier this week, the Senate approved <a href="https://legiscan.com/IA/text/SF219/id/1119754" target="_blank">Senate File 219</a>, which would reduce the maximum sentence for possessing up to five grams from up to six months in jail to up to 30 days. The bill now goes to the House.</p><p><a href="http://www.theweedblog.com/maryland-poll-support-marijuana-legalization-safer-than-sugar" target="_blank">Maryland Poll Has Narrow Majority for Legalization</a>.A new Goucher College poll has support for legalization at 52%, with 44% opposed. The poll comes as the legislature considers a legalization bill.</p><p><a href="http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2015/02/recreation_marijuana_use_bill.html" target="_blank">Pennsylvania Legalization Bill Filed</a>. State Sens. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery County) and Larry Farnese (D-Philadelphia) have filed <a href="http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&amp;sessYr=2015&amp;sessInd=0&amp;billBody=S&amp;billTyp=B&amp;billNbr=0528&amp;pn=0516" target="_blank">Senate Bill 528</a>, the &quot;Regulate Marijuana Act.&quot; But they don&#39;t expect it to go anywhere this year.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2015/02/25/mo-awards-licenses-for-medical-marijuana/24028261/" target="_blank">Missouri Issues Licenses for CBD Cannabis Oil Production</a>. The Department of Agriculture this week issued two licenses for the cultivation of low-THC marijuana to be used to make CBD cannabis oil for patients. The licenses went to two St. Louis-area non-profits.</p><p><strong>Asset Forfeiture</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2015/02/sensible-asset-forfeiture-reform-proposal-fails-colorado-senate" target="_blank">Colorado Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Killed in Committee</a>. A bill that would have required a criminal conviction before civil asset forfeiture in the case of joint state and federal asset forfeiture proceedings has been killed in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill was <a href="http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2015A/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/40B61E453EF6AB5187257D900079462D?Open&amp;file=006_01.pdf" target="_blank">Senate Bill 006</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/investigations/2015/02/26/senator-files-bill-after-10-investigates-policing-for-profit/24077091" target="_blank">Florida Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Filed</a>. State Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) Thursday filed <a href="http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2015/1534" target="_blank">Senate Bill 1534</a>, which would bar civil asset forfeiture without a criminal conviction.</p><p><a href="http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/043de9fd99fa4485b34be885b1a36fbb/WY--Veto-Override" target="_blank">Wyoming Attempt to Override Governor&#39;s Asset Forfeiture Reform Veto Fails</a>. The state Senate voted today not to override Gov. Matt Mead&#39;s (R) veto of bill that would have required a criminal conviction before civil asset forfeiture reform could take place. The Senate voted 23-7 to uphold the veto. The bill had passed both houses with veto-proof majorities, but some senators changed their minds after the gubernatorial veto.</p><p><strong>Drug Courts</strong></p><p><a href="http://wkms.org/post/amid-federal-pressure-kentucky-drug-courts-look-expanding-addiction-treatment">Under Federal Pressure, Kentucky Drug Courts Consider Allowing Opiate Maintenance</a>. After federal drug czar Michael Botticelli said earlier this month that drug court programs that do not allow opiate maintenance therapy could lose federal funding, Kentucky drug courts are considering getting with the program. A court spokesperson confirmed the courts are looking into it, but that they haven&#39;t reached a firm decision.</p><p><strong>Drug Testing</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ozarksfirst.com/story/d/story/arkansas-legislator-files-bill-to-require-benefici/24444/eQ79Ztj5FUKGY5-YRy_a4Q" target="_blank">Arkansas Welfare Drug Testing Bill Filed</a>. State Sen. Blake Johnson (R-Corning) has filed <a href="http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2015/2015R/Pages/BillInformation.aspx?measureno=SB600" target="_blank">Senate Bill 600</a>, which would require people seeking government assistance to be screened for drug use. Those deemed at suspicion of using drugs after screening would have to be tested for drugs.</p><p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/27/washington-post-marijuana_n_6765138.html" target="_blank"><em>The Washington Post</em> is Rethinking Its Employee Drug Testing Policy</a>. &quot;The Washington Post is reviewing its policy in light of the changes to DC law,&quot; the newspaper said Thursday without elaborating any further. It also ran an <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/02/26/pot-is-increasingly-legal-employers-need-to-stop-screening-for-it/" target="_hplink">opinion piece</a> by Gina Tron arguing that employers in general should quit such screening.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/27/us-mexico-drugs-idUSKBN0LV1B620150227" target="_blank">Mexico Captures &quot;La Tuta,&quot; Most Wanted Drug Lord</a>. Mexican authorities said today they had captured Servando &quot;La Tuta&quot; Gomez, head of the Michoacan-based Knights Templar cartel. The capture is a boon to the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto, which has been under fire for months for the disappearance and apparent murder of 43 teachers&#39; college students by corrupt police in league with drug gangs.&nbsp;</p><p><em>This article was published by StoptheDrugWar.org&#39;s lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also shares the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)</em></p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/feb/27/chronicle_am_ted_cruz_flipflops#commentsAsset ForfeitureCandidates/RacesCongressDrug CourtsDrug TestingMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaMethadone & Other Opiate MaintenanceMexican Drug WarNews BriefONDCPPollingPublic OpinionState & Local Executive BranchesState & Local LegislaturesWelfareFri, 27 Feb 2015 23:18:32 +0000psmith31331 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: NM MJ Legalization Bill Dead, Fed Crackdown on Drug Courts, More (2/6/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/feb/06/chronicle_am_nm_mj_legalization
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<p>State legislatures are keeping us busy with lots of drug-related bills, New York&#39;s attorney general gets a deal on naloxone pricing, the feds will crack down on drug courts that don&#39;t allow opiate maintenance, and more. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.abqjournal.com/537804/politics/marijuana-legalization-tax-bill-thwarted-in-house-panel.html" target="_blank">New Mexico Legalization Bill Killed</a></strong>. The House Agriculture and Wildlife Committee voted 7-1 to table <a href="http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/legislation.aspx?Chamber=H&amp;LegType=B&amp;LegNo=160&amp;year=15" target="_blank">House Bill 160</a>, which would have legalized marijuana and allowed for regulated and taxed sales. Opponents said it would lead to more drug use on the job and impair public safety.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.dailypress.com/news/politics/dp-nws-ga-epilepsy-marijuana-20150205-story.html" target="_blank">Virginia CBD Bill Passes Senate</a></strong>. The Senate voted Thursday to approve <a href="http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?151+cab+SC10115SB1235+SBREF" target="_blank">Senate Bill 1235</a>, which would allow patients with epilepsy to use CBD cannabis oil to control their seizures. The measure passed 37-1. A similar bill has already passed out of committee in the House and awaits a floor vote.</p><p><strong>Hemp</strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr525" target="_blank_">Federal Industrial Hemp Act Picks Up New Sponsors</a></strong>. The bill, HR 525, would remove hemp from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. The bill now has 52 cosponsors -- 34 Democrats and 18 Republicans. The newest are Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC).</p><p><strong>New Synthetics</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.wmur.com/health/senate-committee-approves-bill-to-ban-synthetic-drugs/31128884" target="_blank">New Hampshire Bill to Ban Synthetic Drugs Wins Committee Vote</a></strong>. The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved <a href="http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2015/SB0106.pdf" target="_blank">Senate Bill 106</a>, which would restrict the sale and possession of all synthetic drugs. The bill would give the Department of Health and Human Services the ability to &quot;add, delete, or otherwise revise&quot; the list of substances included in the law and set a $500 fine for businesses caught distributing the drugs.</p><p><strong>Asset Forfeiture</strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/committees/HSJU/08" target="_blank">House Subcommittee to Hold Hearing on Federal Asset Forfeiture Next Week</a></strong>. The House Judiciary Committee&#39;s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations will hold a hearing on federal asset forfeiture uses and reforms. The hearing is set for next Wednesday at 10:00am.</p><p><strong><a href="http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/02/04/colorado-delays-review-on-police-forfeitures/" target="_blank">Colorado Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Vote Stalled</a></strong>. A bill that would require a criminal conviction before asset forfeiture could take place has been stalled. <a href="http://bit.ly/1zQJdE9" target="_blank">Senate Bill 6</a> was supposed to have a committee hearing this week, but the hearing has been delayed, with no make-up date announced.</p><p><strong>Harm Reduction</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/nyregion/new-york-state-attorney-general-reaches-deal-to-reduce-price-of-heroin-antidote.html" target="_blank">New York Attorney General Gets Deal to Reduce Price of Overdose Reversal Drug</a></strong>. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has reached an agreement with Amphastar Pharmaceuticals that will result in cheaper prices for the company&#39;s formulation of naloxone, which can reverse opiate overdoses. The company nearly doubled the price of the drug last fall as demand rose, giving rise to a chorus of complaints. The deal would give New York state naloxone buyers a $6 per dose rebate. But the company had increased the price of the drug by about $20 per dose.</p><p><strong>Drug Testing</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://m.wqow.com/w/main/story/126035146" target="_blank">Wisconsin Governor Narrows Public Benefits Drug Testing Proposal</a></strong>. Gov. Scott Walker (R) no longer plans to require drug screening and possible drug testing for all public benefits recipients; instead, now only childless adults will face the screening.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/05/drug-courts-suboxone_n_6625864.html" target="_blank">Feds to Crack Down on Drug Courts That Don&#39;t Allow Opiate Maintenance</a></strong>. Acting drug czar Michael Botticelli said during confirmation hearings Thursday that drug courts receiving federal funds will no longer be allowed to deny opiate addicts access to opiate maintenance treatments such as suboxone. Click on the link for more details.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/matamoros-newspaper-drops-drug-violence-coverage-editor-flees-after-kidnapping/article_111964ae-ad7f-11e4-a9fd-930e5bd641d8.html" target="_blank">New Cartel Violence in Matamoros Sends Newspaper Editor Fleeing to Texas</a></strong>. At least 15 people have been killed in the past week in confrontations between drug trafficking factions in Tamaulipas state, across the border from South Texas. And a newspaper editor from Matamoros has fled to Texas after being threatened upon publishing reports of a shootout that left nine people dead. Enrique Juarez Torres, editor of <em>El Manana</em>, said he had been kidnapped, beaten, and threatened with death for his reporting. The Thursday edition of the newspaper carried no news of his kidnapping or any other reports on cartel activity.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/229990503" target="_blank">Laos Vows Crackdown on Drugs; Will Target Addicts as Well as Traffickers</a></strong>. Laotian security officials say they will be going after important drug rings and street dealers, but also drug users. &quot;We&#39;re targeting the buyers, sellers, and consumers,&quot; a security official said. Laos has already ratcheted up drug law enforcement, with drug arrests up five-fold in 2014 over 2013. The moves come as opium production continues in the country and next door in Myanmar.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/feb/06/chronicle_am_nm_mj_legalization#commentsAddiction TreatmentAsset ForfeitureCongressDrug CourtsDrug TestingMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaMethadone & Other Opiate MaintenanceMexican Drug WarNews BriefONDCPOpium ProductionState & Local Executive BranchesState & Local LegislaturesWelfareFri, 06 Feb 2015 21:54:21 +0000psmith31301 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: DEA Settles Facebook Suit, WY Decrim Bill Advances, More (1/21/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jan/21/chronicle_am_dea_settles_faceboo
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<p>The DEA will pay for using a woman&#39;s identity (and photos) to make a fake Facebook page, a Wyoming decrim bill is moving, Virginia is seeing CBD and medical marijuana bills, there&#39;s a hemp bill in Florida, the Vera Institute releases a report on New York sentencing reforms, and more. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/updated-house-committee-approves-marijuana-decriminalization-bill/article_4c23758d-08cc-52a9-9286-361602c1a6fc.html" target="_blank">Wyoming Decriminalization Bill Wins Committee Vote</a></strong>. The House Judiciary Committee has approved <a href="http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2015/Introduced/HB0029.pdf" target="_blank">House Bill 29</a>, which would decriminalize the possession of up to an ounce of pot. Fines would be $250 for less than a half ounce and $500 for more. The bill now awaits a House floor vote.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.theweedblog.com/kettle-falls-five-federal-medical-marijuana-case" target="_blank">Kettle Falls Five Defendant Seeks Dismissal in Federal Medical Marijuana Case</a></strong>. The widely watched case out of Washington state has been proceeding despite passage of the &quot;cromnibus&quot; appropriations bill barring the use of federal funds to pursue medical marijuana patients and providers in states where it is legal. Now, Larry Harvey, 71, has filed a <a href="https://american-safe-access.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/CJS_Measure_Omnibus_Spending_Bill.pdf" target="_blank">motion to dismiss</a> the charges, with his attorney arguing that <em>&quot;</em>federal prosecutions take away Washington&#39;s authority to determine for itself whether someone is in compliance with its laws or not.&quot;</p><p><strong><a href="http://khon2.com/2015/01/20/health-department-assumes-control-of-state-medical-marijuana-program/" target="_blank">Hawaii Health Department Takes Charges of Medical Marijuana Program</a></strong>. A 2013 law transferring control of the state&#39;s medical marijuana program from the Department of Public Safety to the Department of Health is now in effect. Although the program officially became part of the Health Department on January 1, it took until now for the transfer to be complete. For more detail on other program changes, as well as times for public hearings on new regulations, click on the link.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-general-assembly-considers-medical-marijuana-bills-for-children-with-epilepsy/2015/01/20/a604905e-9f5e-11e4-9f89-561284a573f8_story.html" target="_blank">Virginia Legislature Sees CBD, Medical Marijuana Bills</a></strong>. There are at two new bills aiming to make the use of high-CBD, low-THC medical marijuana legal in the Old Dominion. Filed by Sen. David Marsden (D-Fairfax), <a href="http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?151+ful+SB1235+pdf" target="_blank">Senate Bill 1235</a> would legalize CBD cannabis oil and THC-A oil. Delegate David Albo (R-Fairfax) has filed <a href="http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?151+ful+HB1445+pdf" target="_blank">House Bill 1445</a>, which would also legalize CDB cannabis oil. A third bill, <a href="http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?151+ful+HB1605" target="_blank">House Bill 1605</a>, filed by Delegate Kenneth Plum (D-Reston) would legalize marijuana.</p><p><strong><a href="http://newsingeneral.com/2015/01/20/state-law-prohibiting-advertising-medical-use-marijuana-ruled-unconstitutiona" target="_blank">Washington State Law Banning Medical Marijuana Advertising Unconstitutional, Court Rules</a></strong>. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Martin has ruled unconstitutional a state law that prohibits the advertising of medical uses of marijuana. The law was both vague and overly broad, she ruled, concluding that it violated both the state and federal constitutions. The case is <a href="https://linxonline.co.pierce.wa.us/linxweb/Case/CivilCase.cfm?cause_num=14-2-08934-7" target="_blank">Havsy v. Department of Health</a>.</p><p><strong>Hemp</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://fldecides.org/images/legislative-session/2015/15-legislative-hb363-rehwinkel-vasilinda-hemp-industry-development-act-v1.pdf" target="_blank">Florida Hemp Bill Filed</a></strong>. Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel-Vasalinda (D-Tallahassee) has introduced a bill that would legalize hemp production in the state. The bill is <a href="http://fldecides.org/images/legislative-session/2015/15-legislative-hb363-rehwinkel-vasilinda-hemp-industry-development-act-v1.pdf" target="_blank">House Bill 363</a>. Activists with the <a href="http://www.flcan.org/" target="_blank">Florida Cannabis Action Network</a> (CAN) are seeking a Senate sponsor.</p><p><strong>Sentencing</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/drug-law-reform-new-york-city-summary.pdf" target="_blank">Vera Institute of Justice Report on New York Sentencing Reforms</a></strong>. The report examines 2009 reforms to the Rockefeller drug laws that removed mandatory minimums for some drug offenses and expanded eligibility for treatment instead of incarceration. The report found a 35% percent increase in the rate of diversion to treatment; lower rates of re-arrest in such cases; which was associated with lower rates of rearrest, and fewer defendants sentenced to jail, time served, or &quot;split sentence&quot; -- a combination of jail and probation. However, most drug arrests still did not lead to diversion, and implementation varied widely across boroughs.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Feds-pay-134k-to-woman-whose-ID-used-by-DEA-on-6027904.php" target="_blank">DEA Will Pay $134,000 to Woman It Used in Fake Facebook Page</a></strong>. The Justice Department has settled a civil suit brought against the DEA by a Watertown, New York, woman whose identity and photos were used by a DEA agent to create a fake Facebook page in her name to catch drug fugitives. Sondra Arquiett&#39;s phone had by seized by the Agenty Tim Sinnigen during a 2010 drug arrest, and the agent posed as her on Facebook without her consent. &quot;The photographs used by Sinnigen included revealing and/or suggestive photographs of (Arquiett), including photographs of (her) in her bra and panties. Sinnigen also posted photographs of (Arquiett&#39;s) minor child and her minor niece to the Facebook page.&quot; The Justice Department will pay $134,000 to make this go away.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/vietnam-sentences-death-heroin-trafficking-28336668" target="_blank">Vietnam Sentences Eight to Death for Heroin Trafficking</a></strong>. Eight people have been sentenced to die for trafficking 416 pounds of heroin in Vietnam. The trial in People&#39;s Court in Ho Binh province ended Monday. Six other defendants were sentenced to life in prison, and 17 others jailed for terms ranging from six to 20 years. Vietnam has some of the world&#39;s toughest drug laws.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.stratfor.com/video/mexico-cartel-map-2015" target="_blank">Stratfor&#39;s Mexico Cartel Map</a></strong>. The private, Austin-based intelligence concern has released its latest map of Mexican cartel activity. Despite constant changes in the organized crime scene, Stratfor says, cartel activity remains based in three geographic locations: Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and the Tierra Caliente in Michoacan and Guerrero. Click on the link for more.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jan/21/chronicle_am_dea_settles_faceboo#commentsAlternatives to IncarcerationCourt RulingsCrime & ViolenceDEADeath PenaltyDecriminalizationHempMandatory MinimumsMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMedical MarijuanaMexican Drug WarNews BriefRockefeller Drug LawsState & Local Executive BranchesState & Local LegislaturesState CourtsWed, 21 Jan 2015 21:17:45 +0000psmith31278 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Flurry of Federal Drug Reform Bills, AZ Legalization Demo, Heroin ODs Up Sharply, More (1/13/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jan/13/chronicle_am_flurry_federal_drug
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<p>Marijuana legalization battles start to heat up in the states, a flurry of federal drug reform bills are filed, heroin overdose deaths are up sharply, Mexican cartels seem to be switching from pot to meth and heroin, and more. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:right]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.pressherald.com/2015/01/12/opponents-kick-off-maine-effort-to-talk-about-effects-of-marijuana-use/" target="_blank">Maine Legalization Foes Get Organized</a></strong>. Maine isn&#39;t going to legalize weed without a fight. Two groups with &quot;grave concerns&quot; about legalization kicked off a year-long campaign to &quot;educate&quot; Mainers about the dangers of the herb. The two groups are Smart Approaches to Marijuana Maine and the Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse. The move comes as Rep. Diane Russell (D-Portland) said she will reintroduce her perennial legalization bill, and as state activists work toward a legalization initiative in 2016.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2015/01/12/state-capitol-protest-calls-for-legalization-of-marijuana/21643751" target="_blank">Arizonans Rally to Protest Pot Prohibition, Call for Legalization</a></strong>. More than a hundred people gathered outside the state capitol in Phoenix Monday to urge marijuana law reforms. They were led by <a href="http://saferarizona.com/" target="_blank">Safer Arizona</a>, which says it will protest on the first day of the legislative session until marijuana is legal. A legalization bill will be before the legislature this year.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/government/2015-01-13/new-wrinkle-ga-marijuana-law" target="_blank">Fight Over Georgia CBD Medical Marijuana Bill</a></strong>.Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) has said he will modify his CBD medical marijuana bill, <a href="http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20152016/HB/1" target="_blank">House Bill 1</a>, after Gov. Nathan Deal (R) objected to a provision that would allow production of the crop in the state. That has supporters of the bill unhappy. They say that because federal law prohibits transporting medical marijuana between states, their medicine will remain out of reach if it cannot be grown in-state.</p><p><strong>Hemp</strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s134" target="_blank">Federal Hemp Bill Reintroduced</a></strong>. Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden (D) and Jeff Merkley (D) and Kentucky Sens. Mitch McConnell (R) and Rand Paul (R) have re-filed their bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana. The bill, SB 134, has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.</p><p><strong>Heroin</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/12/heroin-deaths-cdc_n_6459130.html" target="_blank_">Heroin Overdose Deaths Jumped in 2013</a></strong>. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data Monday showing that 8,257 people died of heroin-related deaths in 2013, up 39% from the 5,924 deaths the previous year. The number of overall drug overdose deaths also increased, to 43,982 in 2013 from 41,340 the year before. That&#39;s an overall increase of 6%.</p><p><strong>LSD</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.zmescience.com/medicine/lsd-psychotherapy-12012014" target="_blank_">First LSD Study in Decades Shows Promising Results</a></strong>. LSD can alleviate anxiety in terminally ill patients, according to the first clinical study of the drug in 40 years. The research was sponsored by the <a href="http://www.maps.org/" target="_blank_">Multidisciplinary Associations for Psychedelic Studies</a> (MAPS). The research results were published <a href="http://www.maps.org/research-archive/lsd/Gasser-2014-JMND-4March14.pdf" target="_blank_">here</a>.</p><p><strong>Criminal Justice</strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/search?q=sheila+jackson+lee" target="_blank">Houston Congresswoman Files Trio of Criminal Justice Reform Bills</a></strong>. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) has filed several criminal justice reform bills: <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr46" target="_blank">HR 46</a> would increase the evidentiary standard required to convict someone for a drug offense and require screening of police participating in drug task forces; <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr51" target="_blank">HR 51</a> would provide for collection of data on racial profiling in traffic stops; and <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr71" target="_blank">HR 71</a> would provide earlier releases for certain nonviolent offenders.</p><p><strong>Asset Forfeiture</strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr262" target="_blank">Federal Medical Marijuana Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Filed</a></strong>. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) has filed HR 262, which would amend the Controlled Substances Act to exempt from civil forfeiture real property seized because of medical marijuana-related conduct in states where it is legal. The bill currently has no cosponsors.</p><p><strong>Drug Testing</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/Group-delivers-urine-sample-cups-to-lawmakers-in-protest-of-plans-to-drug-test-those-on-welfare-288335751.html" target="_blank">Wisconsin Group Delivers Urine Specimen Cups to Legislators in Welfare Drug Test Protest</a></strong>. The Wisconsin chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) protested Gov. Scott Walker&#39;s (R) plan to impose drug testing on welfare recipients Monday by delivering urine sample cups -- unused -- to the offices of Republican legislators. The group says the plan won&#39;t achieve anything except demonizing the poor and that it may be unconstitutional.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/losing-marijuana-business-mexican-cartels-push-heroin-and-meth/2015/01/11/91fe44ce-8532-11e4-abcf-5a3d7b3b20b8_story.html" target="_blank">Mexican Drug Traffickers Switching to Meth and Heroin</a></strong>. Marijuana legalization and decriminalization north of the border is having an impact south of the border, if US drug seizures are any indication. The amount of marijuana seized by state, local, and federal law enforcement has dropped 37% since 2011, while heroin seizures have increased three-fold and meth seizures have increased five-fold. Farmers in Mexico have reported switching from marijuana to opium in response to market trends.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jan/13/chronicle_am_flurry_federal_drug#commentsAsset ForfeitureBorderCongressDrivingDrug TestingHempMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaMexican Drug WarNews BriefOverdosesRaceSentencingState & Local Executive BranchesState & Local LegislaturesTask ForcesWelfareTue, 13 Jan 2015 21:57:19 +0000psmith31266 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: DC Pot Foes Busted, VT Pot Legalization Coalition Forms, KY to Hand Out Naloxone Kits, More (1/7/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jan/07/chronicle_am_dc_pot_foes_busted
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<p>DC pot legalization foes get nailed for campaign finance violations, Vermont activists are joining forces to legalize it this year, the Congressional Black Caucus is going to concentrate on criminal justice reform, Kentucky is spending money to prevent opiate overdoses, and more. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/01/07/gov-hickenlooper-pot-legalization-is-off-to-a-good-start-but-youth-education-is-still-a-concern" target="_blank">Colorado Governor Says Legalization Off to Good Start, But He&#39;s Worried About the Kids</a></strong>. Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) told reporters Tuesday that despite his initial concerns, the state&#39;s marijuana industry is well-regulated and staying within the law &quot;in almost every case.&quot; Still, said Hickenlooper, &quot;The concern that we still have &mdash; that I still have &mdash; is whether&nbsp;young people will view this legalization as in some way saying to them that marijuana is safe.&quot;</p><p><strong><a href="http://dcist.com/2015/01/anti-pot_legalization_advocates_vio.php" target="_blank">DC Legalization Opponents Violated Campaign Finance Laws</a></strong>. The DC Office of Campaign Finance has concluded that the anti-Initiative 71 group TIE DC (&quot;Two is Enough, DC&quot;) violated several campaign laws in its effort to defeat the successful legalization initiative. It failed to register as a political committee, failed to file a financial report, and failed to include proper language in its campaign literature, according to <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/251963590/OCF-TIEDC2" target="_blank">the campaign finance office report</a>. The office is recommending that the group be fined $2,000.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2015/01/oregon_liquor_control_commissi_2.html" target="_blank">Oregon Liquor Commission Seeking Public Comment on How to Proceed With Legal Marijuana</a></strong>. The commission, which is charged with implementing legalization, wants to hear from interested parties. It has&nbsp;<a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/olcc-marijuana-planning-survey" target="_blank">posted a survey</a>&nbsp;on its website asking the public for its input on how best to move forward. The commission is planning a series of &quot;listening sessions&quot; later this month.</p><p><strong><a href="https://vtdigger.org/2015/01/06/marijuana-legalization-supporters-join-forces" target="_blank">Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Forms</a></strong>. Groups of Vermont legalization supporters have come together to form the <a href="http://www.regulatevermont.org/" target="_blank">Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana</a> with an eye toward getting a legalization bill passed this year. <a href="http://www.regulatevermont.org/coalition/">Coalition members</a> include the Vermont ACLU, the state Libertarian and Progressive parties, other state groups, the <a href="http://www.regulatevermont.org/coalition/" target="_blank">Marijuana Policy Project</a> and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (<a href="http://www.leap.cc/" target="_blank">LEAP</a>). A legalization bill last year morphed into a study bill, whose report will be released next week, but Sen. David Zuckerman (P/D-Chittenden) said he plans to introduce a legalization bill this session.</p><p><strong>Harm Reduction</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.kentucky.com/2015/01/06/3626974/state-to-fund-kits-with-life-saving.html" target="_blank">Kentucky to Pay For 2,000 Take-Home Overdose Reversal Drug Kits</a></strong>. Gov. Steve Beshear (D) announced Tuesday that the state will provide $105,000 for three urban hospitals to buy 2,000 naloxone kits to send home with heroin overdose patients. &quot;This project will allow us to get this medicine into the hands and homes of the people who need it most: heroin users and their families,&quot; Attorney General Jack Conway said at a Capitol news conference, standing with Beshear and first lady Jane Beshear. &quot;They will be walking out (of the emergency room) with a medication that could save their lives.&quot; At least 723 Kentuckians died of drug overdoses in the first nine months of 2014; 27% of those cases involved heroin.</p><p><strong>Criminal Justice</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/01/06/252170_rep-gk-butterfield-takes-helm.html?sp=/99/200/365/&amp;rh=1" target="_blank">New Head of Congressional Black Caucus Promises Focus on Criminal Justice Reform</a></strong>. Incoming caucus head Rep. GK Butterfield (D-NC) said at his swearing in ceremony Tuesday that the group will focus on criminal justice reform this session. &quot;Thjere is a well-founded mistrust between the African American community and law enforcement officers,&quot; Butterfield said. &quot;The statistics are clear. Video clips are clear.&nbsp;We recognize that the overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities. Unfortunately, there are some officers who abuse the sacred responsibility to protect and serve by using excessive and sometimes deadly force when a less severe response is warranted. The CBC will seek legislative action to reverse this terrible trend.&quot; The caucus will also work to reform sentencing laws, he said.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30703229" target="_blank">At White House, Obama Pledges to Support Mexico in Fight Against Drug Violence</a></strong>. Meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto Tuesday, President Obama said the US will stand alongside Mexico as a &quot;good partner&quot; in its fight against violent drug traffickers and related problems. &quot;Our commitment is to be a friend and supporter of Mexico in its efforts to eliminate the scourge of violence and drug cartels that are responsible for so many tragedies inside of Mexico,&quot; he said. Despite calls from groups such as <a href="http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/01/05/mexicous-obama-should-press-pena-nieto-justice" target="_blank">Human Rights Watch</a> and the <a href="http://www.cipamericas.org/archives/14307" target="_blank">Center for International Policy&#39;s America&#39;s Program</a> for the US to hold Mexico&#39;s feet to the fire over human rights violations, corruption, and impunity, Obama did not publicly address those issues.&nbsp;</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jan/07/chronicle_am_dc_pot_foes_busted#comments2014Crime & ViolenceExecutive BranchMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMexican Drug WarNews BriefOverdose PreventionOverdosesSentencingState & Local Executive BranchesState & Local LegislaturesWed, 07 Jan 2015 21:59:25 +0000psmith31261 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgThe Big Global Drug Policy Stories of 2014 [FEATURE]http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/30/global_drug_policy_stories_2014
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<p>2014 was a big year for drug reform, and for a change, the US is pulling things in the right direction. But it some places, it&#39;s been business as usual, and in others, things have gone in the wrong direction. Here are our big international stories of the year.</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Legalization Expands in the US</strong></p><p>Two more states and the District of Columbia legalized marijuana at the ballot box this year. That makes four states and DC that have legalized it. The US has historically been the leading enforcer of global drug prohibition, but the actions of voters in American states have seriously undercut the (now former, see below) US position, as well as providing an example to the rest of the world.</p><p><strong>The US Signals a New Openness to Drug Reform at the International Level</strong></p><p>In a little-heralded, but groundbreaking move, US Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield, head of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (&quot;drugs and thugs&quot;), made it clear that the US is willing to embrace flexibility, up to and including drug legalization in other countries, in the face of rising calls for international drug reform.</p><p>Brownfield succinctly laid out the US approach in an <a href="http://fpc.state.gov/232813.htm" target="_blank">October speech</a>: &quot;First, respect the integrity of the existing UN Drug Control Conventions. Second, accept flexible interpretation of those conventions&hellip; Third, to tolerate different national drug policies, to accept the fact that some countries will have very strict drug approaches; other countries will legalize entire categories of drugs. All these countries must work together in the international community. We must have some tolerance for those differing policies. And our fourth pillar is agreement and consensus that whatever our approach and policy may be on legalization, decriminalization, de-penalization, we all agree to combat and resist the criminal organizations -- not those who buy, consume, but those who market and traffic the product for economic gain. Respect the conventions; flexible interpretation; tolerance for national policeis; criminal organizations -- that is our mantra.&quot;</p><p><strong>Calls for an End to Drug Prohibition Increase as the 2016 UNGASS on Drugs Looms</strong></p><p>This year saw the pressure for reform of the international drug control regime grow even more intense, and fractures in a now crumbling prohibitionist consensus grew even deeper. <a href="http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/mar/18/growing_demands_un_drug_policy_r">The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting in Vienna in March</a> revealed schisms among countries about future steps on global drug control even as the global drug bureaucrats gave signs of softening in some policy areas, especially around emphasizing public health as opposed to criminalization. The meeting ended with a formal <a href="http://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND-session57/In_session/L15e_V1401384_12_March.pdf" target="_blank">joint ministerial statement</a> agreed to at the last minute after months of contentious wrangling, but one where countries failed to agree on a common approach and where certain fractious issues -- such as the use of the death penalty for drug offenses or even the mention of the term &quot;harm reduction&quot; -- were omitted entirely.</p><p>[image:2 align:right caption:true]Countries critical of the global drug policy status quo, particularly from Europe and Latin America, were joined by an ever-stronger civil society presence at the CND. The message of reform grows ever louder and presages an especially contentious next step, the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Drugs, set for 2016.</p><p>During the rest of the year, the call for reform from civil society only grew louder. In May, the London School of Economics (LSE) published a <a href="http://www.lse.ac.uk/IDEAS/publications/reports/pdf/EndingDrugWarsFINAL.pdf" target="_blank"><em>Ending the Drug Wars: Report of the LSE Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy</em></a>, signed onto by five Nobel Prize-winning economists, as well as political figures including British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Guatemalan Foreign Minister Luis Fernando Carrera Castro, former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, former US Secretary of State George Schultz, and former European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Dr. Javier Solana, among other luminaries.</p><p>&quot;It is time to end the &#39;war on drugs&#39; and massively redirect resources towards effective evidence-based policies underpinned by rigorous economic analysis,&quot; the report says forthrightly. &quot;The pursuit of a militarized and enforcement-led global &#39;war on drugs&#39; strategy has produced enormous negative outcomes and collateral damage. These include mass incarceration in the US, highly repressive policies in Asia, vast corruption and political destabilization in Afghanistan and West Africa, immense violence in Latin America, an HIV epidemic in Russia, an acute global shortage of pain medication and the propagation of systematic human rights abuses around the world.&quot;</p><p>That was followed in June by the <a href="http://www.wacommissionondrugs.org/" target="_blank">West Africa Commission on Drugs</a>, which was initiated by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan of Nigeria, is headed by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, and includes other former heads of state as well as a distinguished group of West Africans from the worlds of politics, civil society, health, security and the judiciary. The commission issued a report, <em><a href="http://www.wacommissionondrugs.org/report/" target="_blank">Not Just in Transit: Drugs, the State and Society in West Africa</a></em>, calling for the decriminalization of drug use, treating drug use primarily as a public health issue, and for the region to avoid becoming the next front line in the failed war on drugs.</p><p>And then, in September, the Global Commission on Drug Policy, which includes Annan, former presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso (Brazil), Ernesto Zedillo (Mexico) and Ruth Dreifuss (Switzerland), and others, issued a new report, <a href="http://www.gcdpsummary2014.com/" target="_blank"><em>Taking Control: Pathways to Drug Policies that Work</em></a>. It boldy called on &quot;governments to decriminalize a variety of illegal drugs and set up regulated drug markets within their own countries.&quot;</p><p><strong>Uruguay Forges Ahead With Marijuana Legalization</strong></p><p>President Jose &quot;Pepe&quot; Mujica may be gone -- his term expired -- but his legacy of legalizing the marijuana trade lives on. There was some doubt as Uruguayans voted on his replacement -- the opposition candidate vowed to roll it back -- but they chose a successor from his same party who will uphold and implement the legal marijuana commerce plan. Uruguay never criminalized pot possession, and now it is the first country to legalize the trade. Implementation should continue apace next year.</p><p><strong>Afghanistan Pumps Out More Opium </strong></p><p>As the US and NATO declare an end to their Afghan war, Afghanistan is growing and producing as much opium as ever. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) <a href="http://www.unodc.org/documents/crop-monitoring/Afghanistan/Afghan-opium-survey-2014.pdf" target="_blank">Afghanistan Opium Survey 2014</a>, land under poppy cultivation increased 7% this year. UNODC estimated opium production this year at 6,400 tons, up 17% over last year. But while annual production has been at 6,000 tons or more for the past few years, it is not as high as the record year of 2007, when production totaled over 8,000 tons. And this as <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/30/afghan-opium-production-explodes-billions-spent-us-report" target="_blank">the US spent $7.6 billion to fight the opium trade since invading in 2001</a>.</p><p><strong>And the Golden Triangle Is Back, Too</strong></p><p>Opium production increased again in Southeast Asia&#39;s Golden Triangle this year, continuing a pattern of growth that has now gone on for at least the past eight years. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) <a href="https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2014/December/opium-production-in-the-golden-triangle-continues-at-high-levels--threatening-regional-integration.html" target="_blank">Southeast Asia Opium Survey 2014</a>, the region produced 762 tons of opium this year, with the vast majority coming from the Burmese Shan State. While Golden Triangle production accounts for only about 10% of global opium production, Burma is now the world&#39;s second largest opium producer, behind Afghanistan.</p><p>[image:3 align:left caption:true]<strong>Mexican Drug War</strong></p><p>It&#39;s been the best of times and the worst of times for Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and his government&#39;s prosecution of its war against the drug cartels. While media attention to the Mexican drug war has declined dramatically since 2012 -- an election year in both the US and Mexico -- the drug war hasn&#39;t gone away, and the death toll has plateaued, but not declined. The year started off great for Pena Nieto with the arrest of the heretofore seemingly invincible Chapo Guzman, head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Other major cartel figures have been killed or arrested throughout the year. But things turned sour again this fall when drug gang-connected elected officials in Iguala, Guerrero, sicced local police and the local Guerreros Unidos gang, on busloads of protesting radical teachers&#39; college students, leaving 43 missing and presumed dead. That led to mass protests against lawlessness, official corruption, and impunity across the country.</p><p><strong>Now Part of Russia, Crimea Rolls Back Harm Reduction Measures</strong></p><p>Whatever one thinks of the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine, it&#39;s been bad news for Crimean drug users. While Ukraine has embraced a harm reduction approach to hard drug use, Russia rejects such an approach and has some of the most repressive drug laws in the world. And it moved quickly in Crimea, <a href="http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/725413" target="_blank">banning the use of methadone</a> almost immediately, which the International HIV/AIDS Alliance called &quot;a disaster for health, human rights and the HIV epidemic in the region.&quot; By June, with more than 800 people cut off from access to opiate maintenance, activists were reporting <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/toll-rising-drug-users-russian-annexed-crimea-065317916.html" target="_blank">20 deaths among drug users</a> and that many others had fled to Kiev, while those that remained were turning to street drugs. Things have only gotten worse, and <a href="http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/eastern-europe-ukraine-russia-crimea-drug-opiate-substitution-therapy" target="_blank">Ukraine shares somes of the responsibility</a> for using the opiate maintenance programs as a political weapon against Crimea. Now, only does the ban on opiate maintenance remain, but drug users face assaults in the streets, as well as stays in jail. And the only &quot;treatment&quot; offered is Russian-style &quot;psychiatric treatment.&quot;</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/30/global_drug_policy_stories_2014#commentsAddiction TreatmentDrug-Related AIDS/HIV or Hepatitis CExecutive BranchMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMethadone & Other Opiate MaintenanceMexican Drug WarNews FeatureOpium ProductionPublic HealthState CourtsUnited NationsWed, 31 Dec 2014 16:47:15 +0000psmith31254 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: NE Felony Pot Brownies, OK Pot Lawsuit Protest, Mexico Cop-Zeta Ties, More (12/26/14)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/26/chronicle_am_ne_felony_pot_brown
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<p>Some Nebraska counties are charging possession of marijuana brownies as a felony, Oklahoma activists will rally against the state&#39;s lawsuit against Colorado&#39;s marijuana law, San Diego closes more dispensaries, a new document reveals links between cartel gangsters and cops in Northern Mexico, and more. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/pot-brownie-may-lead-to-jail-time-in-some-nebraska/article_38308329-885f-5d52-8103-c884a5d879ec.html" target="_blank">Western Nebraska Counties Are Charging Possession of Some Marijuana Edibles as a Felony</a></strong>. Even though pot possession has been decriminalized in the state for decades, some counties near Colorado are now treating foods containing marijuana extracts as a Schedule I drug, possession of which is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Prosecutors in some Western counties say that pastries that contain actual marijuana will be treated like marijuana, but those containing concentrates will be treated as a Schedule I drug.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2014/12/24/naacp-jumps-debate-recreational-marijuana/20880335/" target="_blank">Nevada NAACP Leader Urges Legislators to Legalize It This Coming Session</a></strong>. Jeffrey Blanck, president of the Reno-Sparks chapter of the NAACP, has sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to legalize marijuana during the 2015 legislature. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RegulateMJinNV/" target="_blank">Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Nevada</a> already has a <a href="http://nvsos.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=3294" target="_blank">legalization initiative</a> approved for the 2016 ballot. The legislature has the first 40 days of the session to approve the initiative; if it doesn&#39;t, it goes directly to the voters in 2016.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.thecannabist.co/2014/12/24/oklahoma-marijuana-lawsuit-protest-rally/25958/" target="_blank">Oklahoma Activists to Protest Pot Lawsuit Against Colorado</a></strong>. Oklahoma marijuana legalization supporters have organized a protest against state Attorney General Scott Pruitt&#39;s decision to join Nebraska in suing Colorado to try to undo legalization there. Led by <a href="http://norml.org/ok/item/oklahoma-norml" target="_blank">OK NORML</a> and the Oklahoma Libertarian Party, activists have set up a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1512483429018584/" target="_blank_">Facebook invite</a> to the January 8 rally. &quot;Attorney General Scott Pruitt is suing Colorado for their marijuana laws,&quot; the page says. &quot;This is a waste of taxpayer money and a clear violation of states&#39; rights.&quot; Click on either link for more details.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/dec/23/marijuana-dispensary-shutdown-goldsmith" target="_blank">San Diego Officials Shut Down Five More Dispensaries</a></strong>. City Attorney Jan Goldsmith has shuttered five more unpermitted dispensaries ahead of the opening of the first permitted dispensaries early next year. Four are set to open then. More than 200 dispensaries have been shut down in the past four years under threat of legal action, but as many as 50 unpermitted dispensaries remain.</p><p><strong>Kratom</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-kratom-ban-met-20141226-story.html" target="_blank_">Kratom Will Be for Adults Only in Illinois Beginning Next Week</a></strong>. As of January 1, a new state law will limit the use and possession of the Southeast Asian herb kratom to adults. Kratom is said to have a high similar to opiates, but is not a controlled substance under federal law. It is, however, <a href="http://www.dea.gov/druginfo/drug_data_sheets/Kratom.pdf" target="_blank">on the DEA&#39;s list of &quot;drugs of concern.&quot;</a> It has been banned in neighboring Indiana.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/12/suit_in_fatal_swat_raid_moves_ahead" target="_blank">Lawsuit in Deadly Massachusetts SWAT Drug Raid Can Continue, Judge Rules</a></strong>. A police officer who shot and killed unarmed black Framingham resident Eurie Stamps, 68, in a January 2011 drug raid may have used excessive force, violating his constitutional rights, a US District Court judge ruled as he allowed a lawsuit against the officer to move forward. Officer Paul Duncan shot and killed Stamps as the elderly man lay prone on the floor of his apartment during the raid. Duncan claims the shooting was accidental, but Stamps is still dead, and his family is suing.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.krgv.com/news/local-news/report-links-mexican-officials-to-zetas-cartel/30377730" target="_blank">Mexican Cops Worked Closely With Zetas, Declassified Document Shows</a></strong>. A <a href="http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB499/TarjetaInformativa.pdf" target="_blank">document</a> declassified by Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam shows how police and traffic police in San Fernando, Tamaulipas, worked closely with the Zetas cartel in a series of killings of immigrants en route to the US known as the &quot;<a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/26658-san-fernando-migrant-massacre-how-us-mexican-and-latin-american-governments-share-responsibility" target="_blank">San Fernando massacre</a>,&quot; in which at least 72 immigrants were tortured and murdered.</p><p><strong><a href="http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jokowi-goes-nu-seek-blessing-kill-drug-convicts" target="_blank">Indonesian Ulama Supports President&#39;s Plan to Execute Drug Offenders</a></strong>. The Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia&#39;s largest Islamic organization, said Wednesday it supported President Joko Widodo&#39;s tough stance on drug traffickers. Widodo has refused to stop the execution of convicted drug offenders and is seeking support for his stance. He found it with the Ulama. &quot;We support the death penalty for the drug dealers and the producers, but not the consumers,&quot; said Said Aqil Siradji, chairman of the Ulama&#39;s central board.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/26/chronicle_am_ne_felony_pot_brown#comments2011 Drug War Killings2016DEAGovernment CorruptionMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaMexican Drug WarNews BriefPolice RaidsProsecutionRegulation of Legal DrugsState & Local LegislaturesSWAT/ParamilitarizationFri, 26 Dec 2014 21:37:36 +0000psmith31249 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Lebanon Ag Min Says Legalize Hash, NY MedMJ Regs, "Baby Bou Bou" Medical Bill, More (12/19/14)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/19/chronicle_am_lebanon_ag_min_says
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<p>New York officials have released draft medical marijuana regs, and advocates aren&#39;t too impressed, Lebanon&#39;s agriculture minister says it&#39;s time to legalize it, Bolivia&#39;s president criticizes Mexico&#39;s drug war, &quot;Baby Bou Bou&quot; has a million-dollar medical bill, and more. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2014/12/marijuana_activists_to_refile_legalization_petition_after_elections_office_rejects_it.php" target="_blank">Missouri KC NORML Legalization Petition Needs Editing to Get Official Approval</a></strong>. The <a href="http://kcnorml.org/" target="_blank">KC NORML</a> legalization initiative petition is in for a tune-up after the secretary of state&#39;s office rejected it for minor stylistic issues, including incorrect underlining and brackets. Organizers say they will rework and resubmit shortly. There&#39;s also another Missouri legalization initiative in the works, courtesy of <a href="http://show-mecannabis.com/" target="_blank">Show Me Cannabis</a>, but the KC NORML initiative is less restrictive, and less restrictive than the legalization schemes in any of the states that have legalized it so far.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2014/12/medical-marijuana-draft-regulations-released-regulations-do-not-include-provision-emerg" target="_blank">New York State Issues Medical Marijuana Regulations; Advocates Not Too Impressed</a></strong>. The Department of Health released draft medical marijuana regulations today, but advocates say they are too tight. &quot;New York will be one of the more restrictive programs in the country, which could inhibit patients from getting the relief they need,&quot; the <a href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/" target="_blank_">Drug Policy Alliance</a> complained. Click on the title link for details on the draft regs.</p><p><strong>Asset Forfeiture</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://chroniclenewspaper.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20141218/NEWS01/141219939/Public-hearing-on-forfeiture-law" target="_blank">Public Hearing Set for Orange County, NY, Misdemeanor Asset Forfeiture Ordinance</a></strong>. The public will have one last chance to voice objections to a local asset forfeiture already approved on a party-line vote by the county legislature. The ordinance would allow the county to confiscate assets from those convicted of even misdemeanor drug crimes. The ordinance has been criticized by defense attorneys and others not only for the misdemeanor provision, but also because it would allow for civil asset forfeiture without a criminal conviction. A public hearing is set for December 29. Click on the link for meeting details.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/family-toddler-injured-swat-grenade-faces-1m-medical/story?id=27671521" target="_blank">Family of Infant Burned by Flash-Bang Grenade in Botched Drug Raid Faces A Million Dollar Medical Bill</a></strong>. It has cost a million dollars so far to undo the damage done to toddler Bounkham Phonesavanh when a Georgia SWAT team member tossed a flash-bang grenade into his crib during a drug raid in which the party sought wasn&#39;t even there. Habersham County officials have refused to pay the medical bills, and the family has no means of paying them.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Dec-19/281649-lebanon-agriculture-minister-urges-legalization-export-of-cannabis.ashx" target="_blank">Lebanese Agriculture Minister Calls for Legalization of Hash Farming</a></strong>. Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb called today for the legalization of marijuana so the state can benefit from hash export revenues. &quot;We are conducting studies on [how to] organize this type of agriculture so that it becomes monitored by the state, and thus the state can buy the harvest and export it to the countries that need it,&quot; Chehayeb said in a morning interview with a local radio station. &quot;Instead of prosecuting the farmers, let&#39;s find other solutions for them,&quot; he said. &quot;The planting of cannabis must be organized to benefit the state and the industrial sector, and it is one way of helping the farmers.&quot; Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt made a similar call earlier this week.</p><p><strong><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/peru-destroys-over-31-000-hectares-coca-2014-221947930.html" target="_blank">Peru Eradicates Record Amount of Coca</a></strong>. Peruvian officials announced today that they eradicated 77,000 acres of coca crops this year, the highest total since eradication programs began in 1983. But they didn&#39;t touch the country&#39;s largest coca producing area, the valleys of the Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro rivers (VRAEM) in south-central Peru. The UNODC says Peru is the world&#39;s largest coca producer, and the DEA says it is the world&#39;s largest cocaine producer.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Bolivian-President-Critical-of-Mexicos-Drug-War-Model-20141218-0031.html" target="_blank">Bolivian President Criticizes Mexico&#39;s &quot;Failed&quot; Drug War Policies</a></strong>. President Evo Morales said Mexico&#39;s failed model for fighting the drug war, citing the recent incident where 43 teachers&#39; college students were disappeared and are presumed dead at the hands of corrupt police working with drug gangs. &quot;The market for cocaine is generally in industrialized and developing countries. But&hellip; look at what is happening in Colombia, and especially how it is in Mexico,&quot; said Morales. &quot;The recent events [in Ayotzinapa-Mexico], I still think that [the forced disappearance of the students] is a failed model, a model of free market that is unfortunately subject to the US. empire. And now there are deep problems. &quot;We do not want to have this kind of problem in Bolivia, of organized crime. It seems that crime groups are above the state. In some regions, not even with the presence of military bases can one fight drug trafficking,&quot; he said at a graduation ceremony for National Police cadets.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/19/chronicle_am_lebanon_ag_min_says#comments2016Asset ForfeitureCocaCrime & ViolenceDEAEradicationHashishMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaMexican Drug WarNews BriefPolice RaidsState & Local LegislaturesSWAT/ParamilitarizationFri, 19 Dec 2014 22:36:20 +0000psmith31239 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: NE, OK Seek to Undo CO Marijuana Legalization, Philly Backs Off on Home Seizures, More (12/18/14)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/18/chronicle_am_ne_ok_seek_undo_co
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<p>Colorado&#39;s conservative neighbors try to undo its marijuana legalization, Philadelphia drops a pair of high-profile asset forfeiture cases, Obama commutes sentences for eight drug offenders, and more. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:right]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/bruning-files-lawsuit-over-colorado-s-legalization-of-marijuana/article_89801fb6-86ef-11e4-b2e8-9bf0786ca418.html" target="_blank">Nebraska, Oklahoma Ask Supreme Court to Undo Colorado Legalization</a></strong>. The attorneys general of Nebraska and Oklahoma filed a lawsuit today with the US Supreme Court asking it to declare that Colorado&#39;s marijuana legalization violates the Constitution. &quot;Federal law undisputedly prohibits the production and sale of marijuana,&quot; Nebraska Attorney General Bruning said. &quot;Colorado has undermined the United States Constitution, and I hope the US Supreme Court will uphold our constitutional principles.&quot; But Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, who got a courtesy call from Bruning, scoffed. &quot;We believe this suit is without merit, and we will vigorously defend against it in the US Supreme Court,&quot; he said.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/12/8558799/senators-hold-hearing-marijuana-decriminalization" target="_blank">New York Lawmakers Hold Hearing on Legalization</a></strong>. State Sens. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) and Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx) held a hearing Wednesday on a bill that would legalize marijuana in the Empire State. Krueger conceded the legislation was unlikely to pass during the coming legislative session, but said it was important to keep the conversation going.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.sltrib.com/home/1961499-155/colorado-funds-medical-marijuana-research" target="_blank">Colorado Awards $8 Million for Marijuana Research</a></strong>. The Colorado Board of Health awarded more than $8 million for medical marijuana research Wednesday. The awards will allow researchers to investigate marijuana&#39;s medical potential, not its downsides, as is required for most federally-approved research on marijuana. Three of the eight studies will still require federal approval and marijuana from the US government. In the other five &quot;observational&quot; studies, subjects will be providing their own marijuana. Researchers will study marijuana&#39;s impact on PTSD, irritable bowel syndrome, pain relief for children with brain tumors, pediatric epileptic seizures, and compare it with oxycodone for pain relief.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.aan.com/uploadedFiles/Website_Library_Assets/Documents/6.Public_Policy/1.Stay_Informed/2.Position_Statements/3.PDFs_of_all_Position_Statements/Final%20Medical%20Marijuana%20Position%20Statement.pdf" target="_blank">American Academy of Neurology Calls for Rescheduling Marijuana</a></strong>. In a just-released position statement on the use of medical marijuana for neurological disorders, the academy said it could not yet recommend medical marijuana for those disorders &quot;because further research is needed to determine the benefits and safety of such products.&quot; To that end, the academy &quot;requests the reclassification of marijuana-based products from their current Schedule I status so as to improve access for study of marijuana or cannabinoids under IRB-approved research protocols.&quot; Click on the link to read the entire position statement.</p><p><strong>Asset Forfeiture</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://reason.com/blog/2014/12/18/philadelphia-drops-two-asset-forfeiture" target="_blank">Philadelphia Drops Two High Profile Asset Forfeiture Cases</a></strong>. Faced with an ongoing federal class-action lawsuit filed by the <a href="http://www.ij.org/" target="_blank">Institute for Justice</a> over its brazen asset forfeiture practices, the city of Philadelphia announced today that it is dropping efforts to seize the homes of two families. In one case, the city moved to seize a home after an adult son of the owners was busted for selling heroin; in the other, the city moved to seize a home after the owner&#39;s estranged husband was caught selling small amounts of marijuana. Meanwhile, the federal lawsuit continues.</p><p><strong>Pardons and Commutations</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/17/obama_commutes_sentences_eight_d">Obama Issues Commutations for Eight Drug Offenders</a></strong>. President Barack Obama Wednesday commuted the prison sentences of eight drug offenders and issued pardons for 12 other people who had already finished their sentences. The commutations were for people imprisoned for crack cocaine and methamphetamine offenses. No one is walking out of prison today, but all eight had their sentences reduced to lengths that will allow them to walk out at some point in the next year. Among those who got commutations is Sidney Earl Johnson of Mobile, Alabama, who has been serving a life sentence for crack cocaine offenses since 1994. Another is Larry Naylor of Memphis, who has been serving a life sentence for 50 grams of crack since 1997.</p><p><strong>Opiates</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.help.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=415132f1-1110-4e3a-9988-03f4d3d964ae" target="_blank">Senators Send Letter to Officials, Health Groups Urging Stronger Response to Drug Overdoses</a></strong>. Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee this week urged government officials and health groups to come up with stronger responses to drug overdoses. The call came in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Governors&#39; Association, the American Medical Association, and associations of state and local health officials. Click on the link to read the letter.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/vigilante-groups-and-drug-cartel-shootout-in-mexico-leaves-11-dead" target="_blank">Eleven Dead in Mexico Vigilante Clashes</a></strong>. Mexican &quot;self-defense&quot; vigilante groups in the Western state of Michoacan turned their guns on each other Tuesday, leaving 11 dead. The vigilante groups emerged last year in rural communities to fight the Knights Templar cartel, and in May they accepted an offer to be folded into government security forces. And now they are fighting among themselves.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2877379/Thai-police-harassing-tourists-streets-Bangkok-searches-spot-drug-tests-heavy-fines-paid-cash.html" target="_blank">Bangkok Police Hassling Tourists With Searches, Drug Tests, On-the-Spot Fines</a></strong>. Since the military coup in May, foreign visitors to Thailand are increasingly complaining that police Bangkok are stopping and questioning them, searching their persons and belongings, demanding they submit to drug tests, and handing out on-the-spot fines that must be paid immediately in cash. Most of the harassment is taking place on the city&#39;s main thoroughfare, Sukhumvit Road<em>. </em>The British ambassador said last week he had raised the issue with local tourism authorities.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/18/chronicle_am_ne_ok_seek_undo_co#commentsAddictionClemency and PardonCongressFederal CourtsMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaMexican Drug WarNews BriefOverdose PreventionOverdosesState & Local Executive BranchesState & Local LegislaturesThu, 18 Dec 2014 22:46:03 +0000psmith31236 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Teen Pot Use Not Up, Federal Police Killings Bill Filed, Mexico Mayhem, More (12/16/14)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/16/chronicle_am_teen_pot_use_not_fe
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<p>The Monitoring the Future teen drug use survey is out, the &quot;CRomnibus&quot; bill also killed highway drug use surveys, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) wants better information on police killings, a damning report is released in Mexico, and more. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/16/monitoring-the-future-2014-teen-drug-alcohol-use-decline/20444883/" target="_blank">Drug Use Survey Finds Teen Marijuana Use Declining Even as States Legalize</a></strong>. The annual <a href="http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/" target="_blank">Monitoring the Future survey</a> of teen habits is out today, and it finds that legalization has not sparked an increase in teen pot smoking. The survey found that 24% of eighth, 10th, and 12th graders reported past use marijuana last, down from 26% the year before. And among 12th graders, the number who reported daily use also declined from 6.5% last year to 5.8% this year. There&#39;s much more to the survey; click the survey link to see it.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.kcci.com/news/group-calls-on-lawmakers-to-take-medical-cannabis-next-step/30257464" target="_blank">Iowans Organize to Push for More Effective Medical Marijuana Law</a></strong>. The legislature this year passed a bill allowing for the use of low-THC cannabis oil to treat people with epilepsy, but that&#39;s not good enough for a new group, Iowans 4 Medical Cannabis. The group today announced it had formed to push legislators to make it possible to produce and dispense medical marijuana.</p><p><strong>Driving</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2014/12/12/congress-bars-nhtsa-roadside-survey/20296295" target="_blank">Omnibus Spending Bill Cut Funds for NHTSA Roadside Drug Use Surveys</a></strong>. The $1.1 trillion spending bill that has gotten so much attention over its marijuana provisions also bars the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from using funds to complete its &quot;National Roadside Survey.&quot; It was a voluntary survey that only collected data from people willing to participate, but came under congressional criticism after a Texas TV station aired a program about a Fort Worth checkpoint where police ordered motorists off the road at random to collect samples.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr5866" target="_blank">Federal Bill Filed to Increase Reporting of Deadly Force by Police</a></strong>. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) has filed <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr5866" target="_blank_">HR 5866</a>, which would &quot;require the Attorney General to issue rules pertaining to the collection and compilation of data on the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers.&quot; The bill next was not available at press time. The bill has five cosponsors -- all Democrats -- and has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.</p><p><strong>Drug Testing</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.register-herald.com/news/workforce-wv-pushes-its-programs-to-lawmakers/article_7c3f4e85-1637-586a-bf31-4f9489894f0d.html" target="_blank">WorkForce West Virginia Drug Testing Doesn&#39;t Find Many Dopers</a></strong>. In its annual report to the legislature, WorkForce West Virginia, the state&#39;s employment services program, reported that it had subjected 1,205 people to drug testing upon their seeking tuition reimbursement for employment training programs. Only 1% of them failed. No word on the cost of drug testing all those people.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/14/missing-students-mexico_n_6321866.html" target="_blank">Mexican Federal Police Accused of Collaborating With Local Cops in Case of Missing Student Teachers</a></strong>. In an article published over the weekend, the respected Mexican political weekly <em>Proceso</em> reported that federal police worked together with Iguala police in the September attack on teachers&#39; college students that left 43 missing and presumed dead and which has sparked protests across the country. <em>Proceso</em> also reported that federal police likely tortured key witnesses whose testimony was critical in the federal attorney general&#39;s investigation of the case. <em>&quot;</em>We have information that proves the federal government knew what was happening in the moment it was happening, and participated in it,&quot; Anabel Hernández, the lead reporter for the <em>Proceso</em> piece, said in an interview. &quot;The government has tried to hide this information.&quot; There&#39;s much more at the link.</p><p><strong><a href="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/12/15/armed-civilians-block-roads-in-western-mexico-to-press-for-cartel-crackdown" target="_blank">Armed Civilians Block Western Mexico Highways Seeking Crackdown on Cartels, But&hellip;</a></strong> Hundreds of armed men blocked highways around nine cities in the Western state of Michoacan over the weekend as a means of pressuring the government to crack down on the Knights Templar cartel. They unfurled banners calling for the arrest of cartel leaders. But at least some of the armed men were identified as members of Los Viagras, a group of gunmen who had once served as the Knights Templar&#39;s armed wing and who are now trying to displace them from the drug trade in the state.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/federal-government-loses-appeal-to-stop-medical-marijuana-patients-from-growing-pot-at-home-1.2874238" target="_blank">Canadian Federal Government Loses Again in Bid to Block Home Medical Marijuana Cultivation</a></strong>. Health Canada earlier this year issued new medical marijuana rules that prohibited home growing and shifted production to commercial operations, but it has so far been blocked by the courts from implementing them, and now it has been blocked again. Patients won an injunction earlier this year to allow them to continue growing their own. Health Canada appealed that decision, but the Federal Court of Appeal has now upheld the injunction.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/druze-leader-jumblatt-calls-legalise-hashish-lebanon-820884960" target="_blank">Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt Calls Again for Legal Hash in Lebanon</a></strong>. Veteran Lebanese power-broker Walid Jumblatt, leader of the Druze community, has renewed his call for legal hash production. &quot;It&#39;s time to allow hash to be grown and to overturn arrest warrants against people sought for doing so,&quot; wrote in Arabic on his Twitter feed. He expanded his comments in an interview with Al-Jadeed TV. &quot;Never in my life have I smoked marijuana, but I support growing cannabis for medical use and to improve the living conditions of farmers in north Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Let&#39;s legalize cannabis and regulate its cultivation.&quot;</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/16/chronicle_am_teen_pot_use_not_fe#commentsBudgets/Taxes/EconomicsCanadaCongressCrime & ViolenceDrivingDrug TestingEnvironmentHashishLaw EnforcementMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaMexican Drug WarNews BriefState & Local Executive BranchesTue, 16 Dec 2014 23:16:59 +0000psmith31231 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Overdose Deaths, Naloxone Price Hikes, How Weed Can Win in 2016, New Synthetics, More (12/2/14)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/02/chronicle_am_overdose_deaths_nal
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<p>A new report suggests how to win pot legalization initiatives in 2016, a closely watched medical marijuana trial is delayed, there&#39;s naloxone and overdose death news, Mexican pot farmers are getting squeezed from competition north of the border, and more. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:right]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.eastbayexpress.com/LegalizationNation/archives/2014/12/02/why-moms-will-decide-if-california-legalizes-in-2016" target="_blank">Moms Key Demographic for Winning Initiatives, Research Report Argues</a></strong>. Women between 30 and 55 are the key demographic group for winning marijuana legalization initiatives, according to a new report from the Global Drug Policy Observatory<em>. </em>The report<em>, </em>&quot;<a href="http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/Selling%20Cannabis%20Regulation.pdf" target="_blank">Selling Cannabis Regulation: Learning From Ballot Initiatives in the United States in 2012</a>,&quot; analyzed the 2012 initiative efforts in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, as well as looking at the 2010 Prop 19 effort in California. The campaigns in Colorado and Washington successfully targeted that key demographic, the analysis found. The report also found that key messages to voters were that legalization would free up scarce law enforcement resources and that it would create new tax revenues. There&#39;s plenty more to read in the report; click on the link for the whole thing.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.medicaldaily.com/new-marijuana-breath-test-could-determine-if-driver-under-influence-pot-312648" target="_blank">Marijuana DUI Breathalyzer Test Coming?</a> </strong>Researchers at Washington State University are working to develop a marijuana breathalyzer that could detect THC on a driver&#39;s breath. The researchers said the device would probably not provide an exact reading of the amount of THC, but could help officers determine if there is probable cause for a DUI arrest. But a follow-up THC blood test would still be necessary for use as evidence in court. Researchers said they hope to start testing this device in the first half of next year.</p><p><strong><a href="http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2014/12/arizona_could_earn_48m_yearly_by_taxing_legal_marijuana_legislative_analysi.php" target="_blank">Arizona Legislative Analysts Say Legal Pot Could Generate $48 Million a Year in Tax Revenues</a></strong>. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee has produced a report estimating tax revenues from legalization at $48 million a year. The report was produced in September, but details were not released until the Phoenix alternative weekly <em>New Times</em> obtained a copy Monday. The report was in response to a Democratic bill to legalize marijuana. That bill was killed in April, but could be back next year. And there is a legalization initiative effort underway for 2016, backed by the <a href="http://www.mpp.org/" target="_blank">Marijuana Policy Project</a>.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.safeaccessnow.org/trial_postponed_new_judge_assigned_in_widely_watched_federal_medical_marijuana_case_of_kettle_falls_five" target="_blank">Trial Postponed, New Judge Assigned in Widely Watched Federal Medical Marijuana Case of Kettle Falls Five</a></strong>. A new judge assigned to hear the <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/05/19/marijuana-washington-kettle-falls-five/9031751/" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window">widely watched federal medical marijuana case of the Kettle Falls Five</a> has continued the federal trial scheduled to begin Monday in Spokane, Washington. Senior Judge Fred Van Sickle has been replaced by Judge Thomas O. Rice, who set a new trial date of February 23. This comes as the US Senate plans to consider a measure later this week that would prohibit Department of Justice funds from being spent on medical marijuana enforcement in states where it&#39;s legal. Advocates say that federal prosecutions like the Kettle Falls Five, as well as pending asset forfeiture cases in California, would be impacted by the passage of such a measure. The change in trial date also came soon after <a href="http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/11/10/erin-dnt-mattingly-kettle-falls-5-marijuana.cnn.html" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window">CNN ran the latest national media piece on the Kettle Falls Five</a>, discussing the contradictions between Washington&#39;s adult-use and medical marijuana laws and the prosecution of state compliant patients like the Kettle Falls Five.</p><p><strong><a href="http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/12/02/402-medical-marijuana-dispensaries-in-los-angeles-shut-down/" target="_blank">Los Angeles Has Shut Down More Than 400 Dispensaries</a></strong>.The office of City Attorney Mike Feuer says it has shut down 402 dispensaries since Feuer took office in the summer of 2013. The office has also filed more than 200 criminal cases related to dispensaries, with 743 defendants. It is unclear what the actual impact is, however; new dispensaries seem to pop up at the rate of one a day.</p><p><strong>Harm Reduction</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.nchrc.org/" target="_blank">North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition&#39;s Members Save Over 200 North Carolinians From Drug Overdoses With Naloxone</a></strong><strong>. </strong>The Coalition announced today that it had received a report of its 208th overdose reversal using the opioid antagonist naloxone (brand name Narcan). The Coalition has distributed over 5,100 overdose prevention kits containing naloxone since August 2013. That was made possible by the passage of a 911 Good Samaritan/naloxone access law in April 2013. For more information on overdose prevention training or how to receive a naloxone kit, go <a href="http://www.nchrc.org/program-and-services/overdose-prevention-project" target="_blank">here</a>.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/01/nyregion/prices-increase-for-antidote-to-heroin-overdoses-used-by-police.html" target="_blank">Naloxone Price Going Up Dramatically</a></strong><em>. </em>Just as police departments across the country make plans to stock up on the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, manufacturers are jacking up prices. In Georgia, police report the price of a kit jumped from $22 to $40, while New York City is reporting a 50% price increase. Manufacturers have not explained the increases, but some activists have suggested that with the surge in orders from government entities, the makers have seen a chance to grab windfall profits.&quot;We&#39;ve had a pretty steady price for several years now,&quot;said Matt Curtis, the policy director of <a href="http://www.vocal-ny.org/" target="_blank">VOCAL-New York</a>, an advocacy group. &quot;Then these big government programs come in and now all of a sudden we&#39;re seeing a big price spike. The timing is pretty noticeable.&quot;</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.livescience.com/48968-drug-overdose-deaths-double.html" target="_blank">CDC Reports Drug Overdose Deaths More Than Doubled Between 1999 and 2012</a></strong>. In 2012, more than 41,000 people died of drug overdoses in the US, more than doubling the figure of 17,000 in 1999. Of the 41,000 drug overdoses in 2012, 16,000 were from opioid pain relievers (although that number actually decreased 5% from 2011), while nearly 6,000 were from heroin. Thus, legal and illegal opioids accounted for more than half of all overdose deaths in 2012. The overall overdose death rate also doubled, from 6.1 deaths per 100,000 in 1999 to 13.1 in 2012. The highest rates of overdose deaths were in West Virginia (32 per 100,000), Kentucky (25 deaths per 100,00 people), New Mexico (24.7 per 100,00 people), Utah (23.1 per 100,00 people) and Nevada (21 per 100,00 people). The report is &quot;<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/drug_poisoning/drug_poisoning_deaths_1999-2012.pdf" target="_blank_">Trends in Drug Poisoning Deaths, 1999-2012</a>.&quot;</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Schumer-to-propose-100M-surge-to-fight-heroin-5926913.php" target="_blank">Sen. Chuck Schumer Wants $100 Million to Fight Heroin</a></strong>. Sen. Schumer (D-NY) is seeking an emergency appropriation for a &quot;heroin surge&quot; to combat increased heroin addiction and overdoses. He wants $100 million appropriated to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. The move would increase HIDTA funding to $338 million nationwide, if the funding is approved in the federal budget.</p><p><strong>Drug Testing</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/article4236911.html" target="_blank_">Kansas Welfare Drug Testing Law Not Catching Many</a></strong>. That&#39;s at least in part because the state is not actually testing many welfare applicants. After four months in effect, the state has tested only 20 applicants, of whom four tested positive. The testing is only required for people who are visibly using drugs, been recently arrested on a drug charge, or were found during a questionnaire screening to be likely to be using drugs. The state has paid $500,000 for the program so far, but has not achieved the $1.5 million in savings from people being disqualified for benefits earlier estimated because it has tested and disqualified so few people.</p><p><strong>New Synthetic Drugs</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/12/02/how-powerful-synthetic-drugs-will-upend-drug-markets-globally" target="_blank">New Synthetics and the Changing Global Drug Marketplace</a></strong>. Stanford University drug policy analyst Keith Humphreys has penned an informative piece on the increasing shift from natural, plant-based drugs to synthetic ones as well as the shift to on-line drug selling and buying. This phenomenon could &quot;upend traditional understanding of drug markets and drug policy,&quot; he writes. There&#39;s much more; check it out at the link.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/12/01/367802425/legal-pot-in-the-u-s-may-be-undercutting-mexican-marijuana" target="_blank">US Marijuana Production Hurting Mexican Pot Farmers</a></strong>. National Public Radio&#39;s John Burnett reports from the Mexican state of Sinaloa that Mexican marijuana producers are being squeezed by made-in-America weed. &quot;Two or three years ago, a kilogram [2.2 pounds] of marijuana was worth $60 to $90,&quot;one grower there told him. &quot;But now they&#39;re paying us $30 to $40 a kilo. It&#39;s a big difference. If the U.S. continues to legalize pot, they&#39;ll run us into the ground.&quot; That grower said if matters continued as they were, he would plant opium poppies instead. The report also quotes a DEA official as saying Mexican cartels are now importing high-quality American weed to Mexico for high-end customers.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/dec/02/chronicle_am_overdose_deaths_nal#comments2016Budgets/Taxes/EconomicsCongressDrug TestingFederal CourtsMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaMexican Drug WarNew Synthetic DrugsNews BriefOverdose PreventionOverdosesPopularization of Worse DrugsState & Local LegislaturesTax and RegulateWelfareTue, 02 Dec 2014 22:09:39 +0000psmith31203 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Green Friday, CA Drug Prisoners Walk Free, Mexico Crime Plan, N Korea Meth, More (11/28/14)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/nov/28/chronicle_am_green_friday_ca_dru
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<p>California&#39;s Prop 47 sentencing reform is kicking in with a vengeance, it&#39;s Green Friday in legal pot states, and there&#39;s a whole raft of international news. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/11/28/legal_marijuana_you_can_t_get_black_friday_discounts_on_that_too.html" target="_blank">In Legal Marijuana States, Black Friday is Green Friday</a></strong>. Legal marijuana retailers in Colorado and Washington are getting in the holiday spirit by offering &quot;Green Friday&quot; specials to customers. Kindman Premium Cannabis in Denver is offering $50 ounces to the first 16 Colorado residents today and tomorrow, while the Green Room in Boulder has their $50 eighths on sale for $40. Some Washington state retailers are offering similar deals.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/11/some_pols_pushing_to_legalize_pot_before_voters_do" target="_blank">With Threat of Initiative Looming, Some Key Massachusetts Lawmakers Start Talking Legalization</a></strong>. Some Bay State lawmakers are saying it&#39;s time to pass a bill to tax and regulate marijuana, or else the voters are going to do it themselves. &quot;It&#39;s almost certain to be on the ballot in 2016, I think people are going to vote for it, and I think we have the responsibility to do it right,&quot; said state Sen. Will Brownsberger, chairman of the legislature&#39;s judiciary committee. &quot;I don&#39;t think it&#39;s wisest to leave it to whoever is writing the ballot question.&quot; Not everyone agrees, including Committee on Public Health Chair Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez and Republican Governor-elect Charlie Baker. But if the legislature doesn&#39;t act, an initiative looks very likely in 2016.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.thecannabist.co/2014/11/28/marijuana-research-sue-sisley-2-million-grant-colorado/24235/" target="_blank">Arizona University Professor Fired for Medical Marijuana Research Gets Colorado Grant to Study Pot and PTSD</a></strong>. Researcher Dr. Sue Sisley, who was fired from her job at the University of Arizona over her medical marijuana research, has been awarded a $2 million grant from the state of Colorado to continue her research into the effects of medical marijuana on veterans with PTSD.</p><p><strong>Sentencing</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-prop-47-courts-20141127-story.html" target="_blank">California Drug Offenders Being Freed Under Prop 47</a></strong>. Hundreds of jail and prison inmates have already been released in the three weeks since California voters approved <a href="http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/en/propositions/47/" target="_blank">Proposition 47</a>, which retroactively reduced drug possession (and some other minor offenses) from a felony to a misdemeanor. Scores more people are flooding courts with applications to have their records cleansed of felonies. Nearly 5,000 people in state prison and tens of thousands more in county jails and on probation are probably eligible for resentencing. Those who completed their sentences years ago also can have their felonies erased. Also, thousands of probationers will be released from regular monitoring. Foes expect the worst, but time will tell.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141127/lt-mexico-violence-6c3a9675f0.html" target="_blank">Mexican President Announces National Anti-Crime Plan</a></strong>. Under intense political pressure after the apparent kidnapping and murder of 43 radical teachers&#39; college students in Guerrero in September in a collaboration between corrupt politicians, corrupt police, and drug gangsters, President Enrique Pena Nieto Thursday announced a plan designed to cool public outrage and reform the nation&#39;s notoriously corrupt police forces. Pena Nieto is proposing giving Congress the power to dissolve corrupt municipal police and also placing local police under the control of the nation&#39;s 31 state governments. The same day Pena Nieto made the announcement, police in Guerrero announced the discovery of 11 burned and decapitated bodies (not the missing students). Similar anti-crime plans aimed at corrupt local police were announced in 2004 and 2008, but didn&#39;t succeed in rooting out the problem.</p><p><strong><a href="http://colombiareports.co/santos-announces-pilot-coca-substitution-program-southern-colombia/" target="_blank">Colombia President Announces Crop Substitution Pilot Program, Says Will End Need for Aerial Fumigation of Coca Crops</a></strong>. President Juan Manuel Santos announced Tuesday a pilot program for crop substitution in southern Putumayo state and said there will be &quot;no more need&quot; for aerial fumigation of crops once it is implemented. The pilot program is set to start in April. Crop substitution is a key part of the interim agreement on drugs between Colombia and the leftist guerrillas of the FARC. The two forces have been in extended peace negotiations for the past two years.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/27/us-uruguay-marijuana-idUSKCN0JB04E20141127" target="_blank">Uruguay Delays Marijuana Pharmacy Sales</a></strong>. Although the Uruguayan government had initially planned to start allowing the sale of marijuana in pharmacies by year&#39;s end, it has now pushed that goal back to March, and perhaps further. National Drugs Board General Secretary Julio Calzada told reporters Wednesday that the delay loomed. The Reuters report linked to here mentioned &quot;a variety of hurdles,&quot; but didn&#39;t specify what they are. Under Uruguay&#39;s legalization, people can grow up to six plants at home, organize into collectives to grow jointly, or register with the government and buy their pot at the drug store -- once the government crosses those hurdles.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/11/27/Court-Death-sentence-drug" target="_blank">Malay Man Gets Death Sentence for 20 Pounds of Weed</a></strong>. The Malaysian High Court in Alor Setar has sentenced a 37-year-old Penang man to death for trafficking 9.4 kilos of marijuana. Akbar Ali Abdul Rahman was convicted under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which imposes a mandatory death sentence for some drug offenses.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/28/-sp-north-korean-walter-whites-crystal-meth-china" target="_blank">North Korea as China&#39;s Meth Supplier</a></strong>. <em>The Guardian</em> has in-depth reportage on North Korea&#39;s methamphetamine industry, which it says is flooding northwest China with the drug. The report says the Hermit Kingdom&#39;s meth industry has shifted from centralized and government-controlled production to decentralized, privatized production. North Korea denies it&#39;s doing any such thing. A very informative read.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/raids-dont-affect-amount-of-drugs-on-the-street-report/story-e6frg6nf-1227136591579" target="_blank">Australia Report Finds Drug Enforcement Doesn&#39;t Affect Drugs on the Street</a></strong>. The New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has released &quot;the most comprehensive assessment of drug law enforcement ever undertaken in Australia,&quot; and found no evidence that increased drug law enforcement -- as measured through seizures and arrests of drug dealers -- affected the amount of drugs on the street or reduced hospital admissions related to hard drugs. The report is &quot;<a href="http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/agdbasev7wr/bocsar/documents/pdf/20141127_supplycontrol.pdf" target="_blank">Supply Side Reduction Policy and Drug-Related Harm</a>.&quot;</p><p><strong><a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/25630393/medical-marijuana-bill-before-senate" target="_blank">Medical Marijuana Bill Filed in Australia&#39;s Tasmania</a></strong>. A bill to allow for medical marijuana and set up a controlled farming regime was filed Thursday in the Tasmania state parliament. Local media says the bill has &quot;broad support,&quot; and was cosponsored by a Liberal, a Liberal Democrat, and a Green. The bill is not yet available on <a href="http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/bills/billssearch.htm" target="_blank">the Tasmania parliament web site</a>.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/nov/28/chronicle_am_green_friday_ca_dru#comments2016DefelonizationEradicationGovernment CorruptionMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaMethamphetamineMexican Drug WarNews BriefPolicingState & Local LegislaturesTax and RegulateFri, 28 Nov 2014 21:32:00 +0000psmith31201 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: US Agents on Mexico Drug Raids, New Federal Cash Seizure Guidance, New Pain Pill, More (11/24/14)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/nov/24/chronicle_am_us_agents_mexico_dr
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<p>Some House Republicans still want to mess with DC legalization, a key Washington state solon is planning a bill that would fold medical marijuana into the legal regulation system, federal officials issue a new code of conduct for highway asset seizures, US Marshals are reportedly going on drug raids in Mexico, and more. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://thehill.com/regulation/225078-gop-plottting-to-block-dcs-new-pot-law" target="_blank">Some House Republicans Plan to Try to Block DC Legalization</a></strong>. While <a href="http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/nov/18/chronicle_am_congress_unlikely_m" target="_blank">some GOP senators have no interest in blocking DC&#39;s legalization initiative</a>, some GOP House members do. Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) said he &quot;absolutely&quot; intends to block implementation, but that he probably wouldn&#39;t try to do so until next year. Earlier this year, he successfully attached an amendment to the DC appropriation bill to block decriminalization, and that amendment passed the House, but was never taken up by the Democratically-controlled Senate. Harris called legalization &quot;crazy policy.&quot;</p><p><strong><a href="http://blogs.seattletimes.com/pot/2014/11/21/state-sen-kohl-welles-outlines-bill-to-transform-marijuana-regulation" target="_blank">Washington State Senator Outlines Marijuana Regulation Bill</a></strong>. State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle) said she plans to file a bill that would regulate both recreational and medical marijuana in a single system, slash marijuana taxes, and allow home cultivation of up to six plants for any adult -- not just medical marijuana patients or caregivers. The bill would phase out collective gardens and generally fold the medical marijuana system into the state&#39;s regulated marijuana system. Kohl-Welles hasn&#39;t filed the bill yet and said she is consulting with stakeholders and legislators, but she said she would pre-file it next month.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/local/2014/11/22/new-jersey-th-dispensary-grow-medical-pot/19399081" target="_blank">New Jersey Okays Fourth Dispensary</a></strong>. The state Health Department has issued a permit for a fourth dispensary to start growing medical marijuana ahead of a scheduling opening next spring. The Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center won approval last Friday.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/23/medical-marijuana-gains-strategy-sd/19469087" target="_blank">South Dakotans to Try Legislature, But Hold 2016 Initiative in Reserve</a></strong>. Activists met over the weekend in Sioux Falls to plot how to move forward in a state that has twice rejected medical marijuana at the ballot box. A 2006 initiative lost by just four points, but a 2010 initiative lost by a whopping 32 points in the year of the Tea Party. Now, supporters will try to get a bill moving in the state legislature, but if that fails, they are pondering a 2016 ballot initiative.</p><p><strong>Harm Reduction</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.dailyindependent.com/news/bill-would-let-overdose-victims-avoid-prosecution/article_6a3438ba-7207-11e4-9e50-1f0dea529024.html" target="_blank">Kentucky 911 Good Samaritan Bill Proposed</a></strong>. At a press conference last Friday, state Sen. Chris McDaniel said he wants to file a bill that would exempt drug overdose victims and people who seek help for them from being charged with drug possession offenses. &quot;This should be another tool to keep people from dying, and that&#39;s what we&#39;re after,&quot; he said. But McDaniel also said such an exemption from prosecution could only be used once.</p><p><b>Asset Forfeiture</b></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2014/11/21/federal-officials-issue-new-conduct-rules-for-police-highway-seizures" target="_blank">Federal Officials Issue New Guidance for Highway Seizures</a></strong>. Officials with the White House&#39;s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program have issued new guidance for highway police in a bid to curb questionable civil asset forfeiture seizures of cash and property from drivers. The voluntary code of conduct reminds state and local police that the need to observe the Constitution and the civil rights of motorists. &quot;Emphasize interdiction programs are NOT purposed for enhancing agency budgets,&quot; the code says. &quot;Underscore forfeited ill-gotten proceeds be spent prudently in accordance with applicable statutes, sound policies and regulations.&quot; Asset forfeiture programs are currently under an intense spotlight in the wake of repeated revelations about abuses and aggressive enforcement by police.</p><p><strong>Prescription Opiates</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.medpagetoday.com/PainManagement/PainManagement/48772" target="_blank">FDA Approves Second Hydrocodone-Only Pain Pill</a></strong>. The Food and Drug Administration has approved Purdue Pharma&#39;s extended-release Hydrocodone tablet Hysingla for use. The agency said Hysingla is designed to be difficult to abuse, but acknowledged it could still be. It is the fourth opioid to be granted abuse-deterrent status, after Purdue&#39;s reformulated Oxycontin, it&#39;s oxycodone-naloxone combo Targiniq, and Pfizer&#39;s morphine-naltrexone combo Embeda. And it is the second hydrocodone-only pill approved by the agency. FDA approved Zohydro in October 2013.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-marshals-service-personnel-dressed-as-mexican-marines-pursue-drug-cartel-bosses-1416595305" target="_blank">US Marshals Are Going on Drug Raids in Mexico</a></strong>. <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> has reported that members of the US Marshals Service have been taking part in drug raids disguised as Mexican Marines. <a href="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/11/23/no-us-agents-fighting-drug-cartels-in-mexico-govt-says/" target="_blank">Mexican officials flatly deny the charge</a>, but the newspaper reported that the Marshals Service sends small teams several times a year to help hunt drug suspects, some of whom are not even wanted by the US. The Journal cited a July incident in which a US Marshal was shot and wounded while attached to Mexican Marines patrolling a field in Sinaloa. Six cartel members were killed in the ensuing shootout.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/national-marijuana-legalisation-inches-closer-with-new-bill-20141122-11rvid.html" target="_blank">Australian MPs to Introduce Federal Medical Marijuana Bill</a></strong>. Members of parliament from the Labor, Liberal, and Green parties will this week file a bill that would allow medical marijuana to be grown under federal license. The bill would not require states to allow medical marijuana, but it would create a federal model and address how medical marijuana would be supplied. The MPs will brief colleagues on the plan Wednesday.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.pedestrian.tv/news/arts-and-culture/tasmanian-gov-rejected-medical-cannabis-decriminal/678ea80a-67ba-4a2a-94f8-5229ba6f29a2.htm" target="_blank">Australia&#39;s Tasmania Rejects Medical Marijuana</a></strong>. Tasmanian Health Minister Michael Ferguson has rejected an interim report calling for allowing the use of medical marijuana. He ruled out any changes to current laws, citing advice from the Tasmania Police. He said that Tasmania Police would not seek to criminally pursue terminally ill medical marijuana users.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/nov/24/chronicle_am_us_agents_mexico_dr#comments2016Asset ForfeitureCongressExecutive BranchMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaMexican Drug WarNews BriefPolice/Suspect AltercationsPrescription OpiatesSearch and SeizureState & Local LegislaturesMon, 24 Nov 2014 21:45:35 +0000psmith31195 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle Book Review: Mexico on the Brinkhttp://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/nov/20/chronicle_book_review_mexico_bri
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<p><em><a href="http://www.mexicoindanger.com" target="_blank_">Hidden Dangers: Mexico on the Brink of Disaster</a></em> by Robert Joe Stout (2014, Sunbury Press, 210 pp., $16.95 PB)</p><p>Today is the official 104th anniversary of the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. The uprising that began then lasted for nearly two decades and by the time it was over, nearly two million Mexicans were dead, and the country was changed forever. That revolution overthrew a sclerotic, encrusted dictatorship that advanced the country materially and brought it to the brink of the modern era, but which ignored the interests of the vast majority of Mexicans.</p><p>[image:1 align:left]Are we about to see a repeat? That&#39;s probably premature, but it&#39;s notable that authorities in Mexico City have canceled the official commemorative parade set for today, afraid of trouble breaking out. There has already been trouble in Mexico City today, anyway -- with masked demonstrators attempted to block access to the international airport -- so that decision may well be a prudent one.</p><p>What is motivating the protests today -- and for nearly the last two months -- is the disappearance (and almost certain murder) of 43 radical students from a provincial teachers&#39; college in the south central state of Guerrero. It seems clear that the students and their threats of demonstrations were seen as a threat by Maria de los Angeles Pineda, the wife of Iguala Mayor Jose Luis Abarca. Pineda, who has been identified as a leader of the Guerreros Unidos organized crime group (commonly referred to as cartels), is believed to have ordered Iguala municipal police to &quot;take care of&quot; the unruly students.</p><p>According to a version of events delivered by Mexican Attorney General Jesus Karam Murillo, Iguala police shot up the commandeered public buses the students were riding in (commandeering buses is not unusual in political protests), killing some of the students on the spot. The remaining students were then allegedly turned over by Iguala police to Guerreros Unidos gang members, who, according to Karam, killed them all, burned their bodies, chopped them to bits, and threw them in a river.</p><p>Of course, it took Karam a month to make that announcement, and in the meantime, anger over the disappearances grew by the day. Demonstrators attacked and burnt part of the state capitol complex in Chilpancingo; they attacked and burnt municipal buildings in Iguala; they fought pitched battles with police on the road to the Acapulco airport. And the demonstrations and solidarity protests are spreading.</p><p>This is a brutal scandal that has shaken even brutal scandal-plagued Mexico. Federal authorities have now arrested the mayoral couple, along with dozens of police men and gang members (some are undoubtedly both). The governor of Guerrero has been forced to resign. And President Enrique Nieto Pena and his government are now besieged, even though the mayor and the governor belonged to another political party.</p><p>This may be the landmine that sets off a long pent-up social explosion south of the border. I use the word &quot;landmine&quot; deliberately, for that is the precise term used by long-time journalist and current Oaxaca resident Robert Stout in his new book, <em>Hidden Dangers</em>. Although it appears to have been largely written before Pena Nieto took office nearly two years ago, it seems remarkably prescient.</p><p>In <em>Hidden Dangers</em>, Stout identifies several festering -- and interconnected -- problems facing Mexico, the result of ongoing economic and political changes.Looming large among the potential landmines are emigration, the war on drugs, rising popular political movements of resistance, official corruption and impunity, and increasing environmental degradation.</p><p>With the case of the missing 43 students, Mexico is stepping on two of those landmines: the war on drugs and the problem of official complicity and corruption. As Stout makes clear, Mexico&#39;s drug corporations (he never uses the word &quot;cartels&quot;) have thrived in an atmosphere of violence and corruption and official complicity. I wouldn&#39;t say that drug money has corrupted Mexico&#39;s institutions because they have been deeply corrupted for years, as Stout illustrates throughout the book, but it has deepened the corruption and blurred the line between organized crime and state power.</p><p>What Stout has to say about the drug cartels and the counterproductive policies adopted on both sides of the border to stop them is probably not new to regular readers of these pages. Through violence and cold, hard cash, the cartels manage to suborn security forces, elected officials, and legitimate businesses alike. And heavy-handed, militaristic attempts to quash them, especially with an army that seems to have no notion of human rights, has only resulted in more violence and more mistrust of government.</p><p>But it is complicated, and looking at Mexico solely through the prism of its war on drugs is too narrow a focus to get a good grasp on the country&#39;s realities. Mexico&#39;s drug cartel problem doesn&#39;t exist in a vacuum; it is part and parcel of a deeper social and political malaise, which, in Stout&#39;s view, is related to the country&#39;s authoritarian, unresponsive government and its inability or unwillingness to address the country&#39;s aching concerns.</p><p>And it&#39;s not just the PRI, the party that emerged from the Revolution to govern the country as &quot;the perfect dictatorship&quot; until the election of Coca Cola executive Vicente Fox in 2000. One of Stout&#39;s contributions to our understanding is his explication of the authoritarian character that defines all political parties in Mexico. Whether it&rsquo;s the PRI or the rightist PAN or the leftist PRD, all have adapted the same top-down, strongman politics that characterized the PRI in its heyday.</p><p>It is worth noting that the mayor of Iguala and his wife are members of the PRD, which is a sad reflection on the Mexican left. But Mexicans don&#39;t need to read Stout&#39;s book to understand that the same rot grips all the parties, and that&#39;s part of the reason even the PRIista Pena Nieto is feeling the heat over the Iguala disappearances. The problem is systemic, Mexicans understand this, and that&#39;s why they&#39;re so angrily taking to the streets right now.</p><p><em>Hidden Dangers&nbsp;</em>does a very good job of tying together the disparate &quot;landmines&quot; facing Mexico right now. Especially for readers who have approached the country primarily through the lens of drug policy, it is a welcome opening of perspective. And, at only a bit more than 200 pages, it&#39;s a relatively quick read, packed with information and plenty to ponder. Check it out.&nbsp;</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/nov/20/chronicle_book_review_mexico_bri#commentsBook ReviewBorderEconomicsFinancial CorruptionGovernment CorruptionHuman RightsImmigrationMexican Drug WarMilitarizationPolice CorruptionFri, 21 Nov 2014 00:11:29 +0000psmith31193 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Historic UK Drug Debate Looms, NYPD Ending Marijuana Possession Arrests, More (11/10/14)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/nov/10/chronicle_am_historic_uk_drug_de
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<p>Look out! Here comes the next wave of marijuana legalization efforts. Also, NYPD will stop its penny-ante pot arrests, Oregon DAs ponder dropping pot charges, the FBI&#39;s annual arrest figures are out, the ACLU gets $50 million to fight overincarceration, Britain awaits a historic debate on drug policy, and more. Let&#39;s get to it:</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.8newsnow.com/story/27334437/group-wanting-to-legalize-marijuana-has-170000-signatures" target="_blank">Nevada 2016 Legalization Initiative Ready to Hand in Signatures</a></strong>. The <a href="http://www.regulatemarijuanainnevada.org/" target="_blank">Nevada Coalition to Regulate Marijuana</a> says it will turn in 170,000 signatures Wednesday for its proposed <a href="http://nvsos.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=3294" target="_blank">2016 initiative</a> to legalize marijuana. It needs 102,000 valid voter signatures to qualify for the ballot. This is a <a href="http://www.mpp.org/" target="_blank">Marijuana Policy Project</a> effort.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2014/11/legal_marijuana_in_oregon_pros.html" target="_blank">Oregon Prosecutors to Rethink Pending Pot Cases</a></strong>. Although marijuana possession won&#39;t be legal in the state until July 2015, prosecutors in some of its most populous counties say they will revisit pending marijuana cases in light of last week&#39;s legalization victory at the polls. DAs in Clackamas (Oregon City), Multnomah (Portland), and Washington (Hillsboro) counties all said they are trying to figure out how to proceed.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.providencejournal.com/news/government/20141107-r.i.-group-plans-push-for-marijuana-legalization-in-2015.ece" target="_blank">Rhode Island Activists Aim to Legalize It in 2015</a></strong>. Which will be the first Northeastern state to legalize marijuana? Rhode Island activists organized into <a href="http://www.regulateri.com/" target="_blank">Regulate Rhode Island</a> want their state to be the one. They are putting together a coalition to try to <a href="http://www.regulateri.com/" target="_blank">push a bill to tax and regulate marijuana</a> through the General Assembly next year. The bill died in the legislature this year. This is a <a href="http://www.mpp.org/" target="_blank">Marijuana Policy Project</a> effort.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Marijuana-Pot-Charges-Summons-Arrest-Change-NYC-Bratton-De-Blasio-DA-Thompson-282149831.html" target="_blank">NYPD to Stop Arrests for Minor Marijuana Offenses</a></strong>. The NYPD and Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced today that the department will quit arresting people for low-level marijuana possession. NYPD has been arresting tens of thousands of people each year, but in the face of withering criticism, it will now begin issuing tickets instead. But people caught smoking pot in public will continue to face arrest.</p><p><strong>Drug Testing</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/scott-walker-wants-jobless-food-stamp-recipients-to-face-drug/article_d8f8fcb4-c6ec-5deb-af86-668209d69aff.html" target="_blank">Wisconsin Governor Calls for Drug Testing for Unemployment, Food Stamps</a></strong>. Newly reelected Republican Gov. Scott Walker is calling drug testing of people seeking public benefits, including unemployment insurance. He and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) both say it will be a priority in the coming legislative session. Walker and Vos haven&#39;t unveiled an actual proposal, but any bill that calls for mandatory, suspicionless drug testing is certain to face constitutional challenges.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/nov/10/pot_arrests_drop_still_15_millio">Pot Arrests Drop, But Still 1.5 Million Drug Arrests Last Year</a></strong>. More than 1.5 million people were arrested for drug offenses in the US last year, and more than 693,000 of those for marijuana offenses. The figures come from the FBI&#39;s <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/persons-arrested/persons-arrested">2013 Uniform Crime Report</a>, which was released today. Marijuana arrests have declined from peaks early in this century. In 2008, there were a record 872,000 marijuana arrests, so pot busts have declined by slightly more than 20% since then. But arrests for other drug offenses continue apace, actually increasingly slightly last year. Still, because of the decline in marijuana arrests, the overall number of drug arrests dropped by about 50,000.</p><p><strong>Sentencing</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/07/us/aclu-in-dollar50-million-push-to-reduce-jail-sentences.html" target="_blank">ACLU Gets $50 Million to Fight to Reduce Incarceration</a></strong>. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been awarded a $50 million grant from George Soros&#39;s Open Society Foundations to mount an eight-year campaign to change criminal justice policies and reduce incarceration in this country. The group says there is an emerging bipartisan consensus to make reforms, although last week&#39;s election results may stiffen opposition. The ACLU wants to reduce imprisonment by 50% in the next years.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/11/07/authorities_say_missing_students_remains_burned_by_mexican_cartel.html" target="_blank">Missing Mexican Students Were Murdered By Drug Gang, Officials Say</a></strong>. Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said last Friday that 43 radical student teachers missing for more than a month in Iguala, Guerrero, had been murdered by a drug gang working with the wife of the mayor of the city. Murillo said the students were killed and their bodies burned, with the remains scattered in a local river. The announcement of the students&#39; fate has not, however, quieted outrage in the country, where corruption and impunity are major issues. Demonstrators torched the wooden front doors of the National Palace in Mexico City Saturday night and were blocking the Acapulco airport Monday, among other actions.</p><p><strong><a href="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/11/07/former-president-calls-for-drug-decriminalization-in-chile/" target="_blank">Former Chilean President Calls for Drug Decriminalization</a></strong>. In an interview last Friday, former President Ricardo Lagos said decriminalizing marijuana -- and possibly even cocaine -- possession was the best way to reduce both prohibition-related crime and drug use. Start with marijuana, he said. &quot;After one or two years we will see if we dare to legalize cocaine. It starts with a major prevention campaign and with providing non-prison punishment for those who are incarcerated today, depending on the magnitude of their offenses,&quot; Lagos proposed. &quot;The only thing that&#39;s clear to me is that there were 10,000 drug arrests per year in Chile in 2002 and 10 years later it&#39;s multiplying by eight, reaching 82,000. Chile needs to grow up,&quot; he said. Lagos was president of the country from 2000 to 2006.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.carolinelucas.com/latest/parliament-in-first-drug-policy-debate-for-a-generation" target="_blank">In Historic Move, British Parliament to Debate Drug Policy</a></strong>. The House of Commons will debate Britain&#39;s drug policies for three hours this coming Thursday. It is the first time Parliament has taken up the topic since passage of the Misuse of Drugs Act -- the current law -- four decades ago. The debate comes as Britain&#39;s governing coalition has been sundered on the issue, with the junior partner Liberal Democrats coming out loudly for drug decriminalization and the senior partner Conservatives firmly holding the line against any reforms.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/2683550/roadside-tests-to-catch-drug-users" target="_blank">Australia&#39;s New South Wales Wants Random Drug Testing of Drivers</a></strong>. The New South Wales state government has introduced a bill that would allow police to randomly drug test drivers for the presence of marijuana, amphetamines, and ecstasy. The tests would be done with a saliva swab.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/nov/10/chronicle_am_historic_uk_drug_de#comments20142016ArrestsCrime & ViolenceDecriminalizationDrivingDrug TestingIncarcerationMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMexican Drug WarNews BriefSentencingState & Local Executive BranchesTax and RegulateMon, 10 Nov 2014 22:52:33 +0000psmith31175 at http://stopthedrugwar.org